Hearing Aid Compatibility
Hearing aid compatible phones from Sprint
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Hearing Aid Compatibility
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines HAC for wireless devices in terms of two parameters; radio-frequency (RF) emissions and telecoil coupling. Cell phones are tested to see if they comply with the FCC's definition of hearing aid compatibility Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) compliant device packages are marked with “M” or “T” ratings. The M-rating refers to the microphone mode. The T-rating refers to the telecoil mode. M-Ratings: Wireless devices rated M3 or M4 meet FCC requirements and are likely to generate less interference to hearing devices than wireless devices that are not labeled. M4 is the higher of the two ratings. * M3-rating indicates the handset has satisfied the ANSI standard * M4-rating indicates the handset has exceeded the ANSI standard T-Ratings: Wireless devices rated T3 or T4 meet FCC requirements and are likely to be more usable with a hearing device's telecoil than unrated wireless devices. T4 is the higher of the two ratings. * T3-rating indicates the handset has satisfied the ANSI standard * T4-rating indicates the handset has exceeded the ANSI standard Possible Ratings for Rated Phones There are only 6 possible ratings allowed by the FCC for cell phones rated as being hearing aid compatible (HAC). The phone could be rated (from worst to best): - M3 - M4 - M3/T3 - M4/T3 (or M3/T4) - M4/T4 Wireless devices that are rated for Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) should improve usability for hearing aid users. However, because of the highly individualized nature of hearing loss and hearing aids there is no guarantee. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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